Pakistan Begins Offensive Against Taliban

Military Move Into Mountain Strongholds of South Waziristan After String of Attacks on Security Forces

By

Zahid Hussain in Islamabad and

Matthew Rosenberg in Lahore

Updated Oct. 18, 2009 12:01 a.m. ET

The Pakistani army, backed by air force jets, mounted a three-pronged attack Saturday in the South Waziristan tribal region, in a major offensive to drive out the Taliban and al Qaida militants from their sanctuaries in the lawless territory.

Around 30,000 troops were involved in the pre-dawn assault on the Taliban stronghold, according to security sources. A curfew was imposed in the area around Wana, the regional headquarters and air force jets pounded the militant hideouts in the area under control of Mehsud tribesmen loyal to slain militant commander Baitullah Mehsud.

The Taliban chief who was killed in a US drone attack in August has been replaced by Hakimullah Mehsud who is believed to be behind the string of terrorist attacks which has jolted Pakistan in recent weeks.

Two soldiers were killed in two separate attacks by the militants on army convoys, military sources said. At least 11 militants were killed in the clashes in Ghunda sar and Kotaki areas. An army spokesman said some 4,000 foreign fighters were among 10,000 insurgents fighting the Pakistani security forces.

The fighting has triggered a fresh exodus of population from the affected areas. Security officials said some 25,0000 people could be affected by the offensive.

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Security forces clear the scene where three suicide bombers struck a police station in Peshawar Friday, killing 13 people.
European Pressphoto Agency

The campaign came as military and civilian leaders met Friday, led by Prime Minister Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani. Pakistan will "take all steps to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the country," Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters after the meeting. "There is total consensus among the political leaders for the army action."

Officials have been saying for weeks that a ground offensive would soon be under way. But the need to tackle the Taliban in their stronghold was hastened by a string of recent terror attacks, including a suicide bombing Friday that targeted police investigators in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 13 people. It was the latest in a nearly two-week terror campaign by the Pakistan Taliban, an offshoot of the Afghan movement.

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In an Oct. 4 photo, new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud holds a rocket launcher in South Waziristan; Mehsud has vowed attacks on U.S. and Pakistani forces.
Associated Press

The attacks have left more than 160 people dead. The violence reached a high-water mark Thursday with a three-pronged assault by gunmen disguised as police on security targets in the eastern city of Lahore. Other targets hit in the past 12 days include the heavily fortified headquarters of Pakistan's military outside Islamabad.

The Taliban have repeatedly warned the government not to invade South Waziristan, a mountainous border area where the Taliban and al Qaeda have put down deep roots since being pushed from Afghanistan by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

Regional Violence

Officials say the attacks have only stiffened their resolve to overcome the Mehsud faction of the Taliban, which has made the area a refuge for al Qaeda and Islamist militants from Punjab.

The alliance there has allowed the Taliban to reach deep into Pakistan's heartland. Officials say about 80% of terror attacks in Pakistan in the past two years have been plotted in the Mehsud territory.

Previous operations against the Mehsuds a few years ago saw the army pull back and not hold areas it had cleared, leading to more fighting and eventual peace deals with the militants. This time the army plans to hold the territory to disrupt its terror networks, the official said.

In the short term, the official said Pakistan could see a spike in terror attacks to try to sway public opinion against the military offensive and exact revenge.

The South Waziristan offensive would follow a successful assault in the spring on the Swat Valley, where a failed peace deal with another Taliban faction effectively handed the area to the militants. The offensive earned high marks from U.S. officials, who have pressed Pakistan to take further action against the Taliban, fearing a destabilized Pakistan will undermine American efforts in neighboring Afghanistan.

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Pakistani officials walk near a wrecked motorcycle at the spot of a suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Associated Press

South Waziristan, however, poses a bigger challenge. Its remote mountains are perfect guerrilla territory. And unlike in Swat, where the Taliban had alienated many ordinary people, soldiers in South Waziristan are likely to encounter a far more hostile population that has resisted outside rule for centuries.

Military commanders, however, believe that South Waziristan will be less challenging than Swat in one way: with about 500,000 people it is far more sparely populated than Swat, home to about two million people, giving the army more freedom to attack in force.

Refugees could also present a greater challenge because of the remote location. Amnesty International said Friday in a statement that its researchers in the area estimate that between 90,000 and 150,000 people, anticipating the coming violence, have so far fled South Waziristan. "There are insufficient preparations for health facilities, supplies of food and drinkable water, and shelter," the London-based group said.

Regardless, officials say the Taliban's recent wave of attacks has left them with no other options. Friday's bombing struck the city's criminal investigation unit and was carried out by three attackers: one in a car and two on a motorbike, including a rare female suicide bomber, said the city's police chief, Liaquat Ali Khan.

The car pulled up to the gate of the police building, followed by the man and woman on the bike, he told reporters. The woman then jumped off and began running as the man drove the motorcycle into the back of the car, setting off a massive explosion. Guards opened fire on the woman, whose explosives went off when she was hit, Mr. Khan said.

The dead included three police officers, and at least 15 people were wounded.

—Rehmat Mehsud in Islamabad and Associated Press contributed to this article

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